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Carthage Station
Carthage Station, formally designated Facility 121 and known among the criminal elements of the galaxy as Black Harbour, was a former Irini shipyard in the Atlantean Demilitarized Zone now being operated by the Iron Skull Mafia. History Carthage Station was constructed in the mid-2800s as the Irin Republic's first deep space station in the region and remained a primary ship repair and construction site for over a century. The station played an important role in the Republic's colonization efforts, as it was their central base of operations beyond the fringe systems. Second Irin-Velconum War This importance made Carthage Station the target of a Velconi attack during the Second Irin-Velconum war. Many of the Irini ships damaged in the fighting returned to the station for repairs and safe haven, which gave them a significant advantage over the Velconum Empire, who did not possess a strong holding in the region. The Velconi made several pushes but they were all thwarted, and it was not until 3007, two years after the war began, that an opportunity arose. While the other Irini detachments in the region were preoccupied, the Velconi launched a surprise attack on the colony of Madurai 784, located in a system near Carthage Station. They deployed a swarm of special probes which tricked the Irini sensors into believing that they had much larger numbers than they actually did. As a result, the Irini 5th fleet diverted the majority of their forces to the assistance of Madurai 784, leaving only a handful to defend the station. The bulk of the Velconi fleet struck as soon as the Irini left, and by the time the Republic realized that the battle over Madurai 784 was a lure, it was already too late. The Velconi obliterated the few ships guarding the station and the ground forces were no match for the superior marines and SpecOps of the Empire. When the 5th fleet returned, they found the station and its defences under Velconi control. Civilian Shipyard The Velconum Empire held the Carthage Station and its surrounding colonies for the duration of the war. During the signing of the treaty at the war's conclusion, the Irini petitioned to have the station returned to them. After much deliberation, it was decided that neither faction could establish a military base in the region, and the station was subsequently stripped of its weaponry and sold to a civilian shipbuilding corporation. When the Hierarchy entered the region, the occupants of the station fled, and so the Hierarchy forces did not attack Carthage Station. Following the Surrender of Earth, the station was declared to be part of the newly established DMZ and it was abandoned by its corporate owners due to the perceived dangers of living so close to Hierarchy space. Under Mafia Control The Iron Skull Mafia, greatly crippled by the Hierarchy's attack on Venture, decided to take Carthage Station as their own base of operations. Being inside the DMZ, they were safe from prosecution by both New Atlantean and Hierarchy militaries and they converted the station into a major hub of crime. The mafia restored some of the station's original weaponry; though the Hierarchy is aware of this, they appear to tolerate it for the time being, as the weapons are not in the possession of human military forces. Carthage Station currently still fulfills its primary purpose as a shipyard, and though it no longer constructs new vessels, it services virtually any ship, as long as the payment is good (and provided that the ship can enter the DMZ without diplomatic incident). A section of the station has been converted into a weapons manufacturing facility, with the remainder serving social purposes for the crews of the docked ships. These social areas are notoriously dangerous due to the numerous criminals present.